Here are some activities and suggestions on actions you can take to start improving yourself, building confidence, energy, and power, to make decisions Check out what you can do in today’s installment about the “4 Ways to Change Your Life,” about becoming a better you, and sharpening your tools.
It is in the doing that lasting positive change is created.
Yes, our beliefs and our past experiences have taught us certain things that influence how we see the world, but we have to be able to do and create the changes we want to happen.
And if you want to be able to create sustainable improvement, and spiral upward and upward towards your dreams, you’ve got to be building a better body, mind, and heart.
Your greatest, most potent, and most powerful tool for change – is yourself.
Use what you’ve got.
And if what you got isn’t strong enough, yet, then you still have a chance to get it to a level where you are strong enough to keep doing the things you love, and even change your life.
Because, change is hard. Status Quo is easy. Not moving is easy. Especially when the habits, beliefs are so deeply rooted. Maybe we’ve been born with them, or we were brought up this way.
Change is hard, and life won’t always help you! It will continue to provide blessings, but it will always shake, storm, and test you to the best of your abilities.
Simply put, you’ve got to improve what you’ve got to be more capable of bigger and better changes that you want.
A better body, a better mind, a better heart, equals to a better life.
All of this will give you more energy, more strength, and more wisdom, all of which will enable you to capture, and seize upon opportunities for growth.
I will now share some activities and practices you can do to strengthen your body, mind, and heart. I’ll be sharing what worked for me in my lowest moments, so you won’t find anything really complicated. When we’re recovering, complicated stuff is just another hurdle for us to get over. Better to start with simple stuff first. It’s easier to get going that way. Don’t try to do them all at the same time! Just pick one or two you resonate with, and focus on doing that regularly, or even everyday.
Body – Let’s get physical
If you want to get stronger, and have more energy to do the things you want to be doing, you’ll need to start getting your body used to moving.
Exercise also has a therapeutic effect, your body releases endorphins, also known as the hormone that causes you to feel happy, when you exercise! You’ll feel better, and start to be stronger, healthier, in the process.
Exercise doesn’t also benefit our body, it also has a positive effect on our minds. Research shows that exercise causes our brain to grow more nerve cells, which create more connections, which improve the functions of our brains.
What are some simple activities you can do to get you started?
Walk. Yes that’s right. Something as simple as taking a walk can have profound effects. A 5 minute walk along a path of your choosing is a great start.
Simple Exercises. Push-ups. Squats. Or even the Plank. Pick one, or a combination. these exercises can be done at home, and with no other necessary equipment. Although I do recommend that you follow proper form to avoid injury. Here’s a push-up, a squat, and a plank.
Do them regularly. Set a schedule for you to do the activities. For me, doing them as soon as I woke up was very effective.
Watch what you eat. Sure, diet is a whole other topic, one that can be very technical and very deep, but for the purpose of starting out, don’t eat too much. Also, avoid junk food. Your body needs more whole and real food instead of sugary, processed junk. Garbage In, Garbage Out.
The Japanese have a concept of “hara hachi bu,” which means to eat until 80% full. This way, you won’t get to overeat.
Mind – a hidden power
Imagination, thought, ideas, all fuel for creation, planning, preparation, and ultimately, implementing. It is the mind that takes care of all of this, and the mind too is a muscle. It has to be exercised, fed, taken care of as well to perform, and to get better.
Learn something new. Often, when we are recovering from failure, or when we feel that the life we have is stagnant, that we’re going nowhere, nothing is new, or nothing excites us anymore, that really is an indication that our minds are stuck in the same rut. Our minds too need something new so we can break out of old thinking patters, beliefs, and negative patterns.
Learn a new hobby. It can be something small, but something that you enjoy. Musical instrument, art, painting, writing, or a sport.
Read and Learn. Read what inspires you, on what you are curious about. Read what will help you, and read stories about what you want to become, and how people got there.
If you don’t use it, you lose it! Get to using your mind often. Do puzzles, brain games *provide a link*, or write down 10 ideas per day on a theme. Get to using your brain, thinking, and creating. It doesn’t matter if what you think up, you deem as crap. That’s not the point here. The point is to get to thinking and creating.
Journaling. Write it down! Again, journaling is also a very effective exercise for the mind, and even the heart.
Meditate. Focus on Breathing, and on carving out silent space for yourself. Stay in silence for at least a minute, or for a length of time you are comfortable with.
Heart – it’s got a lotta love
When we say heart, it’s about what you hold dear to you, and how you approach life, and the people and relationships in your life. the following practices help you to create a more positive outlook of life, begin to see the world in a more positive light, and begin to recognize the many opportunities and abundance that’s there.
Be grateful. When you wake up, identify one thing you are grateful for. Before you go to sleep, identify one thing you are grateful for that day. Gratitude helps us recognize that although we have experienced pain, despair, and failures, there are good things that are happening to us. Sometimes, we just don’t choose to see them, or are blind to them. Be grateful for the little good things you’ve got in your life right now. Gratitude is a sign of abundance, that there are many more blessings for everyone, including you.
There is a Hawaiian saying: Bless that which you want, and bless the person who has it. Envy and comparison only breed resentment and negativity, which will further distance you from that which you want.
Share. Share what you’ve got. Donate to charity. Volunteer your time to a cause close to your heart. Help a friend out in need. We’ve all got something to give, and even in little ways, we can still help out other people. Even in your darkest moments, you can make a choice to become an element of good. Share openly what you’ve got.
Smile. Smile through the pain. Be kind to others. Be kind to yourself.
Forgive yourself. We’re all not perfect, and we’re all winging it, from moment to moment. We all make mistakes, and part of being kind to yourself is to forgive yourself. Stop the blame, and move on with your life. Being hard on yourself and keeping the blame on yourselves only serves to keep you in the mud, and prevent you from making any positive changes in your life. Forgive yourself.
Meditate. Control your breathing, give yourself space and silence.
When you do the activities, focus on one or two first. You want to be able to start doing the activity regularly, which will in turn keep your momentum going, and get you to a higher level where you’re able to take on more activities, and / or higher intensity activities.
We have now discussed the importance of Going For Action and Application, including what’s stopping us from taking action, Learning From the Past, as well as activities that we can use to Build A Better You. Next, we’ll discuss tips and techniques how you can sustain doing the actions, as well as keeping your momentum going. Tell me what you think in the comments below!
Sources:
1. Physical Exercise Beefs Up The Brain – Society for Neuroscience.
2. Youtube, BuiltLean and Rob Ord for the exercise form videos
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